The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-07-24
A BEASTLY GLASS OF PEOPLE
The Disgusting Depravity Revealed in
History of the City's Beggars.
Intermarriage Of Relatives for Four Genera
tions-A Mother Married to Her Own Son
How Distress Is Feigned in Begging.


ago this was the custom that prevailed in In
dianapolis. As a result, the army of professional
manners began to increase at an alarming rate,
and the officials intrusted with the work OF re-
lieyine the poor saw that something would have
10 be done to decrease the list of those depend
ant upon support. Back in 1877 the Charity Or
eanization in conjunction with the township
trustee, began looking up the personal histories
of a few of the professionals, and although the
investigation was very superficial, it revealed
enough to show that the majority of those ask
ing support were born paupers, VINO oelieveo
that the world owed them living"
The township trustee inaugurated system OF
''tracing" in conjunction with the ladies' OF
the Charity Organization. 1t has been won
derful success in many ways. By it the town
ship saved nearly $4,000 during Trustee
Many's first year in Office, and much larger
amount will be saved this year. The tracers
have compiled a personal history OF the pauper
families of Indianapolis, in many cases running
back three and four generations. The work has
been secretly dore. With the history ut hand
it is impossible for an impostor to get aid from
the county, for if he has lived here any length OF
time he is ION the books"
The facts cleaned by those who have been en-
gagged in the work show some remarkable things
There are between one and two thousand people
in Indianapolis who may be classed as profess
sional paupers They have for generations got
their living by begging. The two thousand VINO
now exc out a living by begging sprang from
about thirty-five families that came here fifteen
and twenty years ago professional begRars.
They nearly all came from the South-the ma
jority from Kentucky. They multiplied rapidly.
But few are credited with less than ten children,
and the families of some number az
many as seventeen. The children were
trained to follow the footsteps or their parents,
and a small army of beggar5 was In few wears
turned out to prey upon the community. When
the children became old enough. they mated or
married as they chose, with some OF their own
class. In the history of one family. In the DOS
session of the Charity Organization, 1t Is related
that one young man struggled above the strata
in which he was born; DE ieIt tne Guy anu
Gus business man. Several attempts upon his
life were made by relatives who looked upon
him as a traitor to their teachings. In the en-
tire history this is the only instance OF wnere
one of the class broke away from his demoral-
izing surroundings and became reputable cltl-
zen. =.
Marriage laws have been wholly disregarded
and relatives have married ana intermarr1ed I'M
til the relationship in many instances, can De
traced only with great difficulty. In looking
over family history aJournai reporter found
a st atement that woman had married her
own son after having lived with a hat-dozen
men. So far the tracers have been able TO
ascertain there was no relationship existing be-
tween the thirty five families that first settled
in the city. Now the descendants or nearly
every family are related to the descendants OF
all the other families Intermarriage and beast
L. habits have degraded the class until the last
generation is little above the domestic animals.
Three generations have no" Deen
brought into existence. The length
or life OF the first men and women who came
ranged from sixty to eighty years. Now the
average life is found to be fifteen years Grad
ually the laws of nature are working the de-
PRAYED breed out of existence
Their habits of life are but grade above the
domestic animal. They live in little shanties
Ia the outskirts of the city. II have often found
rs many as fifteen and twenty in one little
ROOM" said Mr.. Frank Wright. of the township
trustees Office to the Journal reporter. I'm their
manner of living they resemble dogs more than
human beings" During the summer season
about 20 per cent OF the number leave
the city to be gone until fall They
tramp the entire summer, and beg their meals
from house to house When winter comes they
all return, and a visit to the trustees Office or the
Charity Organization society Is their nrst ousl-
ness.
AS begging is profession with them they
sort TO many schemes to secure assistance. The
generally make the applications for aid
They are more successful in feigning distress.
Many women call upon the trustee with a baby
in their arms and when the tracer investigates
the case he finds that the baby borrowed for
the occasion. A few weeks ago an item was pub
lished In city paper 10 the erect that
West Washington street. The fact is
the baby had been loaned to
professional begcar and was Kept out In the sun
until the exposure caused it's death. Many
women apply acids to their eyes to make them
SORE and go TO tie Charity Organization feign-
ing blindness. Recently small girl was com
PEELED TO fall into a cellar way and pretend that
she was badly hurt. so her mother could bring a
suit for damages against the owners OF the prop
erty. In many instances they have been caught
selling food furnished them by the township
trustee A few weeks ago family went to the
Ladies Aid Society and begged for some furni-
ture. The ladies gathered up enough
FIR ittrra
gin housekeeping. While returning with
the second loa "a. the husband of the woman was
met carrying off the previous load to q second
hand store for sale. Untiring efforts have been
made to provide them with work. but they will
not do labor of any kind. Recently young
woman went to the Flower Mission asking for
support. She said she was willing to work if she
could get employ ment. few days aiterward
nurse wanted by the Flower Mission. They
called upon the young women who had applied
for help. but she refused to go. The tracer for
the trustee few days ago discovered man
who owned property and had for years been
getting double relief from the trustee. He ap-
piled under assumed name, and his wife,
who represented herself as an unmarried woman
and unable to support herself. drew relief reeu-
larly There is no doubt that his property
purchased with money thus obtained from the
county
The history of the class is one of crime from
beginning end. 1t Is from 1t that the peniten-
tiaries and reform schools filed The
ords show that nearly twenty-five per cent. OF
the males of every family in the class have been
at some time inmates of the jails or peniten-
tiaries.
The following is the history of one of the
most respectable of the pauper tribe. it
appears in the trustees record book. "Tne fam
ily are hard TO describe. They evidently were
given their name from their rowing habits
wandering over the country, living for months
together in hollow trees along creek bottoms.
When the cold weather would compel them to
seek shelter they would take any unoccuped
premises they could find. From their
beastly habits and intermarriage they
are diseased fitted, idiotic and de-
formed Have not the intelligence of human
beings Are like half civilized animals,
governed more by instinct than knowledge.
They have been passed TO almost every point in
adjacent States in the hope of getting rid of
them The family under this name consists of
1877 persons. They are a worthless set and exist
by begging Several of the woman have made
themselves nearly blind by the use of acids to
IL L. .acl hax it,